As have our tours in the past, our climbing programs seeks to present climbers with the opportunity of combining their "heart" for climbing with their "heart" for kids. As we acclimatize the first few days, we will stay at in dormitories at the Henry Davis orphanage. There is one full service day at the orphanage included in the tour mixed in with a climb up either the Ruco Pichincha or Guagua Pichincha. After this, climbers have the chance to summit the stratovolcano Imbabura at 4,630 meters, or 15,190 ft., and then attempt Cotopaxi, which at 19,350 ft. Check out our 2012 itinerary:

Cotopaxi 2012

Itinerary

Day 1
Arrival Quito, transport to Henry Davis Orphanage

Day 2
Service day at Henry Davis Orphanage

Day 3
Service day at Henry Davis Orphanage

Day 4
1st acclimatization climb, Ruco Pichincha, 15,000 ft. This mountain towers above the city of Quito and allows fantastic views of the city and surrounding areas the entire climb.

Day 5
Visit to the centuries-old indigenous market of Otavalo, located about 2 hours north of Quito. We will also visit Lake Cuicocha, a beautiful lake located in the crater of an extinct volcano. From here we will go to a near-by hosteria at the base of Imbabura where we will spend the night.

Day 6
2nd acclimatization climb, Imbabura, 15,800 ft. Although not a lot higher that Ruco, this mountain is more challenging due to the length of the climb and the steep terrain. During the entire climb one has incredible views of northern Ecuador. We will return to the hosteria that evening to spend the night.

Day 7
From the hacienda we will travel to the volcanic pools of Papallacta, located at the base of third highest glacier in Ecuador, the beautiful Mt. Antisana. We will stay at a beautiful hotel/ spa where we can take full advantage of the hot springs.

Day 8
We will leave Papallacta late morning and make our way south to the Cotopaxi National Park. We will stay at a beautiful hacienda (los Mortinios) on the outskirts of the park.

Day 9
After a restful morning, we visit the Cotopaxi refuge at 15,000 ft. for lunch. After lunch we will have glacier school, where climbers learn the techniques of climbing in crampons, use of ropes, and use of an ice axe. We stay at the same hacienda.

Day 10
We will travel back to the refuge early in the afternoon to prepare for our summit attempt. After an early dinner, we will turn-in around 7 p.m.

Day 11
Summit day! After an early alpine start, we will summit Cotopaxi (19,350 ft.) around 7 a.m. After a photo session, we will head back to the refuge and then make our way back to Quito. After settling in the hotel, we will have a celebratory dinner.